Types of Aggression in Cats

Aggression can be scary – not only for the victim but also for the one displaying the behavior. Since cats prefer to avoid confrontation, engaging in an aggressive encounter usually means they feel backed into a corner.

In order to avoid actual physical encounters, cats do lots of posturing and use their bodies to communicate that they’re either big, bad cats who shouldn’t be messed with or else they’re trying to say that they’re not a threat. When the body language and other communication signals fail to stop perceived threats, that’s when cats may resort to aggressive behavior.

Cats aren’t aggressive just for the sake of being aggressive. There are different causes behind aggressive behaviors. You have to identify the underlying cause of the behavior in order to work toward correcting the problem.

One very important step in dealing with aggression, or any change in your cat’s behavior is to have her examined by the veterinarian in order to rule out any underlying medical cause. This is a crucial step that mustn’t be skipped.

Aggression is serious and people or cats can quickly become seriously injured. Before dealing with a cat who is acting aggressively, seek the advice of your veterinarian. You may then be referred to a qualified, certified behavior professional. In general though, the best way to deal with an aggressive cat is to not deal with her at all – just leave her alone.

Below are some common causes of aggression:

Intercat Aggression

This happens when two or more cats have a hostile relationship with each other. This may be the result of two cats who have just come upon each other in an outdoor environment, cats who are challenging each other for status or territory, or as a result of a human bringing a new cat into an existing cat’s environment.

Intercat aggression can occur between unfamiliar cats or ones who have previously had a good relationship. In the case of an ongoing relationship, something can trigger the aggression. Intercat aggression can also be the result of redirected aggression.

The method of dealing with this type of aggression will depend on the underlying cause.

Redirected Aggression

This occurs when a cat becomes aroused and reactive as a result of seeing or hearing something that she can’t access. A common example is when an indoor cat sees an unfamiliar cat in the yard. She can’t get to the cat so she lashes out at a companion pet or nearby human.

Redirected aggression is easily misdiagnosed because you may never see the actual source of the cat’s agitation. The cat can stay reactive for quite a while. Additionally, depending on how severe the aggressive encounter was, the companion cats may stay hostile toward each other long after the initial episode.

Safely separating the cats temporarily is typically the best way to avoid the situation getting any worse.

Petting-Induced Aggression

This is one that cat parents often think comes out of the blue, but in reality, the cat usually gives plenty of warning signs. The problem is, humans don’t always pay attention to the signals until it’s too late.

This type of aggression occurs when you’re petting your cat and she suddenly lashes out and either bites or scratches you. It can occur when you pet beyond the cat’s tolerance or when petting causes over-stimulation. It can also happen when you start stroking areas of the cat’s body that aren’t comfortable.

To avoid petting-induced aggression, pay attention to your cat’s body language signals and learn her tolerance level so you can stay well below that.

Fear Aggression

Basically, all types of aggression are rooted in fear. This is a cat who feels backed in a corner and has no other option but to lash out.

Veterinarians are the ones who often see cats displaying fear aggression. The cat is on the exam table and all crouched down with tail tightly tucked around her body. She’s terrified and trying to appear as small as possible. She’s saying “leave me alone” but of course, she can’t be left alone during a veterinary exam. As a result, she may feel she has to choice but to strike.

If the fear is severe enough, the cat may also urinate, defecate or express her anal glands.

If your cat is displaying fear aggression and you don’t need to interact with her, the best thing to do is leave her alone and provide her with a place of refuge and security until she calms down. You must also figure out what is triggering the fear.

Play-Related Aggression

It’s not uncommon for your unsuspecting ankles to become the victims of a cat’s play aggression. An orphaned cat or one taken away from her littermates too early may display this type of aggression because she was denied the social play that occurs during crucial time with siblings.

This type of aggression is usually easily corrected by using interactive toys for play sessions, never using your hands as toys and teaching your cat that biting skin will result in a sudden end to the game.

Territorial Aggression

This is one of the causes of intercat aggression. In the outdoor world, territorial aggression is actually very common. It can range from hissing and posturing to all-out bloody war.

Territorial aggression can also occur between companion cats when one returns from the veterinarian and is covered in that unfamiliar scent. Cats use scent for recognition and when a cat returns and doesn’t smell like herself, she can become the victim of territorial aggression.

Dealing with this type of aggression will depend on the underlying cause of the turf war.

Pain-Induced Aggression.

This can happen if you pet or touch your cat in a spot where she’s hurting or injured or if you inflict pain on your cat. This is just one of the many reasons why physical punishment isn’t an effective training method.

This type of aggression may also occur if a child pulls a cat’s tail, or if the cat is handled too roughly.

You may also see this type of aggression show up in older cats who develop arthritis and it becomes very painful when not handled gently enough.

Unprovoked Aggression

This refers to aggression that is displayed for no reason at all that you and the veterinarian can determine. There may be an underlying medical reason for the behavior that has gone undiagnosed. Often, redirected aggression is misdiagnosed as unprovoked aggression. Before diagnosing unprovoked aggression, it’s crucial to rule out medical causes and all other potential causes of aggression. Unprovoked aggression is rare.

Maternal Aggression

A queen may display aggression if she feels her kittens are in danger. She may show aggression toward humans or other animals in the environment. It’s best to not stress the mother cat out. Make sure she has a safe and secure place so she doesn’t feel that her family is in danger. During the first two weeks of the kittens’ lives, limit your interaction so the mother can tend to her new babies.

Need More Information?

The above article is not intended as a medical diagnosis. If you’re concerned about your cat’s behavior, consult with your veterinarian. You may then be referred to a certified behavior expert. If you’d like to read more about behavior modification techniques used to deal with aggression problems in adult cats, refer to the book Starting from Scratch. If you are dealing with a multicat issue, refer to the book Cat vs. Cat.

About Pam Johnson-Bennett

Pam Johnson-Bennett is the host of Animal Planet UK's PSYCHO KITTY, She is a best-selling author of nine books, including Think Like a Cat: how to raise a well-adjusted cat – not a sour puss. For over 25 years, her books have been called cat bibles by veterinarians, behavior experts, shelters and cat parents worldwide. Pam is considered a pioneer in the field of cat behavior consulting. Pam owns Cat Behavior Associates, a private veterinarian-referred behavior company in Nashville, TN.

3 comments

my cat shows aggression towards one of the 3 house dogs that we have the cat is 9yrs old we’ve had him 8yrs the dog that he’s aggressive towards has been here 5yrs it seems to be a territorial aggression and here lately the cat has been having a few bowel movements in other areas of the house he has a covered litter box i’m going to remove the top to see if that will help another box is out of the question his box is kept clean too when he makes the mess hoping for improvement with at least the problem box

If your cat is eliminating outside of the box, make sure you have him checked by the veterinarian to rule out any underlying medical condition. The kitty could be having intestinal trouble. Also, be sure the litter box is located in a “dog free” zone.

i have 6 cats. my cat cattucino is consistently aggressive to the 2 most passive cats i have – particularly to truffle. truff can be sleeping soundly and out of the blue cino will attack him; he is much larger than she (7 lbs) he’s (20 lbs – he was rescued that way) he is not declawed so he could actually hurt her, but he only will hiss at her or bat at her w/out his claws exposed. she has bitten him to the point of him losing a chunk of fur/skin on his neck; she has also done this to cookie (also a very large docile cat). actually, she doesn’t get along w/any of the cats but will attack these two. when i rescued her she had come from a home w/cats and dogs and got along fine and did fine in the shelter w/the other animals. i have had cino for 2 1/2 yrs in a house that had 3 cats already. any suggestions.
thanks